Latest news with #Oldman
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Slow Horses' EP Doug Urbanski on the secret to the show's success: ‘We try to make the perfect martini' and what's next in Season 5: ‘it's the most fun and most silly'
You practically need to keep a portable defibrillator next to your remote when you stream Slow Horses. The Apple TV+ series, has more twists, near deaths (and sometimes, actual deaths), and other heart-stopping moments within a single episode than other series do over the span of an entire season. But it's the everyday travails of its characters that keep them close to the audiences' heart, says star Gary Oldman. 'The appeal of the show is that we give you the world of espionage, but these are people you can relate to more than the tuxedo-clad James Bond,' Oldman told Gold Derby at an FYC event for Slow Horses at the Meryl Streep Center for Performing Arts at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation on Saturday. More from GoldDerby Pickleball, punchlines, and personal growth: 'Hacks' stars Megan Stalter and Paul W. Downs on their bond and what's next 'That feeling of having a first crush': How Zach Cherry and Merritt Wever made their 'Severance' marriage feel real Joy and visibility take center stage at Critics Choice LGBTQ+ Cinema & TV celebration 'They've got their marriage problems, kid problems, they have to pay their mortgages, and go to the laundromat,' Oldman added. 'We see them do things that spies aren't normally seen doing.' Based on the Slough House novels by Mick Herron, the series, which is headed into its fifth season later this year, tells the stories of a group of disgraced British agents who try to bring down terrorists and other evil-doers under the supervision of Jackson Lamb, played by Oldman, who was joined at the event by the show's executive producer, Doug Urbanski, and cast members Rosalind Eleazar (Louisa Guy), Jonathan Pryce (David Cartwright), and Saskia Reeves (Catherine Standish). Speaking to the show's success, Goldman, a 2024 Primetime Emmy nominee Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series for his role, said, 'There's two criteria — the scripts, which are based on Mick Herron's novels, and the gang — the cast and the crew. To work with this group of people has been a highlight, really, of my career.' Some of those everyday-people quirks on display include Lamb's notorious bodily functions like passing gas. 'Lamb uses the flatulence, the drinking, the smoking, the sort of gruffness, the sarcasm, the insults, the bullying — all of that — as somewhat spycraft,' Oldman said. 'He has gathered this persona to keep people at a distance. 'You're not going to get close to me. You're not going to second guess me.' But, because he really has no filter and doesn't abide to social norms, he doesn't care.' Despite the life and death situations and the high stakes in the espionage world, Slow Horses manages to work in some comedic moments into the lives of the agents. In Season 4, we saw Louisa fall under the mistaken impression that River had romantic feelings for her. In reality, he was just trying to find a way to talk to her about his ailing grandfather, David. 'Every time I watch that scene, I'm like 'Oh, my God, Louisa! Look at you trying to think that!'' Eleazar said with a laugh. 'But I love their dynamic. Afterwards I thought, 'Huh. Is there something between them?' Maybe it's explored in later seasons? I don't know.' An example of how the show keeps viewers guessing was in the first episode of Season 4, titled 'Identity Theft.' David shot an intruder whom the audience believed was his grandson. For most of the episode, nearly everyone believed that River was indeed dead only for it to be revealed that he was alive. David had shot a look-alike intruder, Bertrand Harkness (Jack Lowden), River's half-brother, who had murder on his mind. 'We try and have a cliffhanger, and two stories going on,' Urbanski said. 'We try to make the perfect martini and keep the formula going.' 'River's' death serves as a reminder that Slow Horses viewers should never believe anything until they see it with their own eyes. While Marcus (Kadiff Kirwan) died in the Season 4 finale, we didn't actually see his corpse on-screen, did we? Yes, the character dies in one of Herron's novels — but does that mean he's gone from the series? 'I don't believe we did see it,' Urbanski says about Marcus's corpse appearing on screen. 'That's a good question. No one comes back from the dead like a zombie [on Slow Horses], but I think one would be wise to question anything that is purported to be a death on the show. Sure.' Urbanski calls Season 5 'the most fun and the most silly season' that's been done to date. 'We called Season 1 The Bourne Identity season,' Urbanski says. 'It had that sort of energy. Season 2 was more like [the movie] Tinker Tailor Solider Spy [which Urbanski executive produced]. That was about bad guy Russians trying to kill Papa Cartwright and Jackson. Season 3 was the sort of the 'Hitchcock' and 'MacGuffin' season. They were all looking for the file. Then, in Season 4, the bad guys wanted to kill Papa Cartwright and Lamb again. 'Season 5,' Urbanski continues, 'is centered around [Roddy] Ho [played by Christopher Chung], who is sort of our least serious character.' (Watch for Ho to get a girlfriend.) 'You're going to find a shifting of gears in terms of tone for the first two or three episodes, and then, the last three episodes are actually quite cinematic,' Urbanski adds. 'You have quite a bit of fun with the chase that ensues.' 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Metro
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
The show that deserves to be bigger than Line of Duty reveals major news
The Gary Oldman-led spy drama is one of the best shows on right now (Picture: AP) One of the best shows currently on air is returning with a new season in a matter of months. After several seasons as a sleeper hit, the word of mouth truly caught on last year when Apple TV Plus brought Slow Horses back for a fourth season – and we now know when season five is coming. In a TV landscape when regular release dates are a pipe dream, the Gary Oldman-led spy drama is one of the dramas we can regularly rely on. The first two episodes of season five will premiere on September 24, kicking off a season based on Mick Herron's London Rules novel. Our group of loser spies will reconvene in Slough House: the rubbishy government building where operatives are put out to paperwork pasture after some sort of fiasco in the job. Alongside the regular cast including Kristin Scott Thomas, Jack Lowden (a soon-to-be father!) and Rosalind Eleazar, the fifth season welcomes a guest star in Ted Lasso's salt and pepper coach Nick Mohammed as a politico. Slow Horses follows a team of MI5 rejects led by Oldman's Lamb (Picture: Jack English/Apple TV+/AP) Saskia Reeves is Oldman's sparring partner in the drab Slough House purgatory (Picture: Apple TV+) The upcoming season is set to centre around Roddy (Christopher Chung) – who's sporting an interesting new man bun in the first look pictures – and his new girlfriend, who actually isn't a catfish this time. The tech whizz having some romantic success leaves everyone in Slough House asking questions – just as a series of bizarre events occur across the capitol city. As ever, its the Slow Horses who are on hand to set the world to rights. 'After all, Lamb knows that in the world of espionage, the London Rules – cover your back – always apply,' the official synopsis reads. With six episodes soon to be with us, we already know this season won't be the end of the road for Slough House. The show has already been renewed for a sixth season, which the production team are working away at even as the fifth hasn't aired yet. Jack Lowden plays ambitious young agent River Cartwright (Picture: Apple TV+) Oldman previously told he is having 'enormous fun' playing a human as objectionable as the slobby and disillusioned Jackson Lamb, with his penchant for farting, daytime drinking and savage put-downs. 'If you're playing mean and ugly and you have bad writing, then it's difficult. Offensive mean and ugly with [writer] Will Smith and Mick Herron is a lot easier,' he told and other press in a roundtable. 'It's enormous fun, I really do have to say. I think people – everyone's had that boss, or you've met those people along the way where I think secretly you would just love to be brutally honest. And I think that's what we find amusing and funny about Lamb. There's something that we maybe recognize or go, 'Oh, I wish I could talk to someone like that. There's no filter!' 'But it's fun, to answer your question, when you've got good writing.' Slow Horses season 5 debuts on September 24 on Apple TV Plus. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. Arrow MORE: 13 of the best and most blood-curdling shark movies streaming right now Arrow MORE: Sci-fi fans desperate to binge 'wildly entertaining' series with 97% Rotten Tomatoes score Arrow MORE: All 8 episodes of 'addictive' thriller starring 90s icon are coming to ITV
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Slow Horses Lands Season 5 Premiere Date at Apple TV+
The show is called Slow Horses, but they sure do make 'em fast, don't they? The Emmy-winning spy drama starring Gary Oldman will return for Season 5 on Apple TV+ on Wednesday, Sept. 24 with the first two episodes, TVLine has learned, less than a year after Season 4 wrapped up on the streamer. More from TVLine Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale Trailer Offers First Glimpse at Maggie Smith Tribute - Watch Nobody Wants This Lands Season 2 Premiere Date at Netflix - Watch the Cast's Video Announcement Wednesday: Netflix Releases First Six Minutes of Season 2 - Watch Them Here Slow Horses follows a team of outcasts in the British intelligence community that have been relegated to a forgotten corner of MI5 known as Slough House. Oldman stars as team leader Jackson Lamb, with a supporting cast highlighted by Kristin Scott Thomas, Jack Lowden and Jonathan Pryce. Additionally, Nick Mohammed (Ted Lasso) will make a special guest-star appearance in Season 5. As Season 5 begins, 'everyone is suspicious when resident tech nerd Roddy Ho has a glamorous new girlfriend, but when a series of increasingly bizarre events occur across the city, it falls to the Slow Horses to work out how everything is connected,' per the official synopsis. 'After all, Lamb knows that in the world of espionage, the London Rules — cover your back — always apply.' Debuting in April 2022, Slow Horses has won critical acclaim across its four seasons, including Emmy nominations last year for best drama series and best lead actor in a drama for Oldman. (The series won an Emmy in 2024 for best writing in a drama.) With the debut of Season 5, it will have aired five seasons in about three and a half calendar years — a true achievement in today's TV landscape. (To illustrate the point, the fourth and most recent season of Stranger Things aired just a month after Slow Horses' first season.) What are you hoping to see from Lamb and company in Season 5? Hit the comments to share your thoughts. Best of TVLine 'Missing' Shows, Found! Get the Latest on Ahsoka, Monarch, P-Valley, Sugar, Anansi Boys and 25+ Others Yellowjackets Mysteries: An Up-to-Date List of the Series' Biggest Questions (and Answers?) The Emmys' Most Memorable Moments: Laughter, Tears, Historical Wins, 'The Big One' and More
The Guardian
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘An intuitive genius': Gary Oldman steps back on to stage as a national treasure
It's been 46 years since Gary Oldman made his professional stage debut at York's Theatre Royal. Returning to the venue last week for Samuel Beckett's one-man play Krapp's Last Tape, the 67-year-old English actor is a world removed from the young upstart once advised by Rada to do something else for a living. In the intervening four decades Oldman has steadily become one of the greatest actors of his generation, whose versatility and intense performance style have earned him numerous accolades including an Oscar, three Baftas and a Golden Globe. Today, he is one of the highest-grossing actors of all time (more than $11bn worldwide), and beloved by British audiences for his 'standout' performance as Jackson Lamb, the cantankerous manager of a team of defunct spooks in the Apple TV+ spy drama Slow Horses. It's no surprise that viewers are drawn to Lamb, whose appeal lies in his fallibility: he is rumpled, mildly corrupt and pessimistic, with a propensity to drink and swear. It's exactly the type of offbeat role Oldman has spent his career perfecting. 'Jackson Lamb's character arc is all in the backstory. He's not going to change or develop; we're looking at a burned-out wreck of a man,' Will Smith, the Emmy-winning creator and showrunner of Slow Horses, told the Guardian. 'Because Gary is such an extraordinary actor, he can convey that vast hinterland with the narrowing of his eyes or a shift in his posture. There's so much to reveal and explore with Lamb, but Gary is happy to have it simmering in the background and then give us the occasional tantalising glimpse into the darkness of his past. It's a wonder to behold.' Often hailed as a 'working-class hero' in an industry increasingly rife with Etonians and Harrovians, Oldman began his life in New Cross, south-east London, in 1958. His father, Leonard, was a welder and former sailor who left the family home and Gary's mother, Kathleen, when his son was seven. The teenage Oldman, a diehard Millwall fan, was initially drawn to music but gravitated towards a career in acting after seeing Malcolm McDowell on stage. He began studying with the Young People's theatre in Greenwich while working odd jobs as a porter and a shoe shop assistant. After failing to get into Rada, Oldman studied acting at the Rose Bruford College in Sidcup, before a run of work with York Theatre Royal, the Royal Court and the Royal Shakespeare Company. On screen, he made his film debut in 1982 in Colin Gregg's Remembrance, and the following year he landed a starring role as a skinhead in Mike Leigh's Meantime, before rising to prominence with his portrayal of Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy (1986). Playing the Sex Pistols' bassist – a performance described by John Lydon as 'bloody good' – showcased Oldman's devotion to his characters (at one point he was taken to hospital after losing significant weight for the role) and led to other starring turns. He was the playwright Joe Orton in Prick Up Your Ears (1987), a football firm leader in The Firm (1989), and the titular Rosencrantz in Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990). He became the unofficial frontman of the 'Brit pack', a fraternity of driven young British performers that included Colin Firth and Daniel Day-Lewis. In 1991 Oldman starred in his first US blockbuster, playing Lee Harvey Oswald in Oliver Stone's JFK. After that, the actor began to gain a reputation as Hollywood's 'psycho deluxe': he was the titular Count in Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula (1992), the violent pimp Drexl Spivey in the Tony Scott-directed, Quentin Tarantino-written True Romance (1993), a sadistic prison warden in Murder in the First (1995), and a corporate tyrant in The Fifth Element (1997). Perhaps most memorably, he played a corrupt DEA officer in Luc Besson's Léon: The Professional (1994), widely considered as one of the best villains and most corrupt cops in cinema history. After a fallow period in the early 2000s, Oldman found himself back in the spotlight when he was cast in two major franchises. He was Harry Potter's godfather, Sirius Black, in the film adaptations of JK Rowling's books, and the police commissioner Jim Gordon in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy – a performance lauded by critics, who increasingly regarded Oldman as one of the greatest actors never to have been nominated for an Oscar. That Oscar nomination eventually did come, for Oldman's portrayal of the spy George Smiley in Tomas Alfredson's 2011 adaptation of John le Carré's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. But he didn't win the gong until 2018, for playing Winston Churchill in Joe Wright's Darkest Hour – a role the actor recently revealed he turned down 'half a dozen times' until his wife intervened. '[She] said: 'Go out there and walk on the wire. It could be great, but even if you fall and it's no good, you've got to stand on the set and say: We shall fight you on the beaches.' I thought: You've got a point there.' Oldman's transformation into the wartime prime minister required 200 hours in the makeup chair, 14 pounds of silicone rubber, and $20,000 worth of Cuban cigars, which gave him nicotine poisoning. Christopher Eccleston hailed Oldman's Oscar win as 'massive' for people from working-class backgrounds. 'Oldman is as fine an actor as Daniel Day-Lewis, but Gary is not double-barrelled,' he said. Oldman's third Oscar nomination was for an eponymous role in Mank (2020), David Fincher's paean to a past era of great American film-making. He has previously expressed how difficult he found it to work without disguise on the film. 'I do like to hide, but I'm hiding because it's all my baggage … so that was my problem,' he said. And there's been no shortage of personal baggage over the course of the actor's life. There was his difficult childhood, an experience he mined when writing and directing Nil By Mouth (1997), a bristling portrait of an abusive, alcoholic father in south London – which the film critic Nick James described as 'the most authentic working-class cockney movie ever'. There was his alcoholism in the 90s, when he was arrested for drunk-driving and checked into rehab (Oldman has been sober for more than 25 years). Then, in 2014, Oldman issued apologies for offending Jewish people after he played down antisemitic slurs by Mel Gibson. He has also had a string of marriages, including to the actors Lesley Manville (the mother of his eldest son Alfie) and Uma Thurman. He has faced down accusations that he was violent to his third wife, Donya Fiorentino (the mother of his younger sons, Gulliver and Charlie), which came out during the promotion of Darkest Hour. He has been married to the writer and art curator Gisele Schmidt since 2017. While Oldman has been in several recent films, including Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer and Paolo Sorrentino's Parthenope – released in the UK on Friday – Slow Horses has solidified his status as a national treasure. 'Working with Gary was an education and inspiration,' Smith said. 'He is a truly transformational actor, a once-in-a-generation talent, an intuitive genius with an incredible work ethic and a disarmingly generous spirit. Every actor that joins the cast is in awe of him, but he makes them feel welcome and puts them at ease.' Much like the character of Krapp, Oldman is reconnecting with his past when he steps on to the stage each night, carrying 'the sense of an older man in conversation with his younger self' according to the Guardian's review. The actor has spoken of his desire to retire once Slow Horses ends, which would make his return to York all the more serendipitous. Towards the end of the play, Krapp questions whether his 'best years are gone', but it's clear that Gary Oldman's star is as bright as it ever was.
New York Post
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Gary Oldman reveals Demi Moore's response after he was ‘unprofessional' and ‘destructive' on set
Gary Oldman revealed that he was forced to apologize to former co-star Demi Moore for his 'destructive' behavior on the set of the 1995 film, 'The Scarlet Letter.' The Oscar winner, 67, opened up about his 'unprofessional' behavior, saying his past issue with alcohol caused him to act out while filming the romance film. In the film, Oldman starred as Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale opposite Moore, 62, who played Hester Prynne. Advertisement 4 Gary Oldman revealed that he has apologized to former co-star Demi Moore for his 'destructive' behavior on the set of the 1995 film, 'The Scarlet Letter.' Jay L. Clendenin/Shutterstock for SAG 'I think the worst thing you can do is inspire disappointment,' the 'Slow Horses' actor told Radio Times. 'I was in The Scarlet Letter with Demi Moore, and I had intermittent bouts of boozing during filming. It was towards the end of [my drinking] where I thought, 'If I carry on like this…' Advertisement The British actor, who was 36 when the film was released, said he was 'in a very dark place' at the time. 'I drank too much in the lunch hour. It was such a destructive thing. I got back on the set to do quite a big scene and I got through it,' he said. 4 The Oscar winner, 67, opened up about his 'unprofessional' behavior, saying his past issue with alcohol caused him to act out while filming the romance film. ©Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection 'You wouldn't really know but I was quite tipsy. And the next day, I said to her, 'I'm so sorry, you must hate me.'' Advertisement 'I was mortified that I'd been so unprofessional. And she said to me, 'I don't hate you. It's okay. I'm just disappointed,'' he added. Oldman's past issues with booze landed him in rehab in 1994 after he was arrested for drunk driving three years prior. 4 Oldman's past issues with booze landed him in rehab in 1994 after he was arrested for drunk driving three years prior. WireImage The actor has now been sober for 28 years and previously credited Alcoholics Anonymous for helping him overcome his addiction. Advertisement These days, he has 'no desire to even take a sip.' Earlier this year, Oldman heaped praise on Moore for her success in the hit film 'The Substance.' Speaking exclusively to The Post at the 2025 Screen Actors Guild Awards in February, Oldman said that the 'Ghost' actress 'is very special.' 'I've not really been that in touch with her, but I just actually reconnected with her because I've seen her recently. She is such a wonderful person, Demi,' he said. 'I couldn't be happier for her in this moment with this film and this role. I think it's such a wonderful thing. And she's loving it and really riding the wave.' 4 Oldman recently heaped praise on Moore for her recent success in the hit film 'The Substance.' Larry Busacca Advertisement Moore enjoyed a glittering awards season on the back of the horror film, which saw her star as Elisabeth Sparkle. The Hollywood icon has taken home a Golden Globe and a SAG Award for best actress, and was also nominated for a BAFTA but lost to 'Anora' star Mikey Madison — to whom she also lost the Oscar.
